A Catalyst for Change: Service‐Learning for TESOL Graduate Students

Abstract

This study explores ways in which TESOL graduate students were engaged in service‐learning at a public university in the midwestern United States. It describes the experiences of both domestic and international students with service‐learning that was incorporated into a hybrid graduate‐level TESOL course. Data were collected throughout the semester through weekly discussions on Blackboard, three reflective journals in which students wrote about their experiences on‐site, and in‐person discussions in the classroom, as well as through a focus group interview at the end of the semester. Findings reveal how service‐learning contributed to developing students’ intercultural awareness, civic responsibility, and teacher identity. Students also appreciated the opportunity to share their experience with the class and receive support from their peers. Overall, service‐learning gave students hands‐on experience that allowed them to translate theory into practice, thus making their learning authentic, creative, and meaningful. The findings raise important questions for TESOL educators and researchers to address as we reimagine and reconceptualize the curriculum for promoting diversity and social justice. The article concludes with suggestions for implementing service‐learning in a TESOL program.

The effects of service-learning on physical education teacher education: A case study on the border between Africa and Europe

“…They specifically show the PETE students' willingness to contribute to civic improvement and to promote more inclusive PE. Somehow, SL enhanced the students' social responsibility, leading them to a tangible projection of their teaching role, which is consistent with previous research (Anderson et al, 2017;Carrington et al, 2015;Cho and Gulley, 2017;Engberg and Fox, 2011;Fredericksen, 2000).…”

How Can Service-Learning Shape the Political Perspectives of Pre-Service Teachers? A Program in the Field of Physical Education

“…In this sense, Adler and Goggin [ 53 ] establish that civic engagement consists of promoting active citizenship in order to help enhance the lives of other people or to help shape a better future for the community thus, being connected to the empowerment for being responsible citizens [ 11 ]. Regarding SL, Cho and Gulley [ 29 ] assert that this pedagogical method may increase students’ civic responsibility, while Richards et al [ 32 ] and Ruiz-Montero et al [ 33 ] suggest that it may increase civic compromise. All these points support the findings of the present study, since the participants evinced ideas in this respect.…”

“…For example, Iverson and James [ 28 ] indicate that students develop learning related to political dimensions, such as their civic-political identity, the understanding of citizenship and responsibility for their own actions. Similarly, according to Cho and Gulley [ 29 ], SL may enhance students’ intercultural competence and civic responsibility, while Tan and Soo [ 30 ] assert that pre-service teachers’ self-concept, collaborative and communicative skills are also increased. In the specific field of PE, some studies conclude that SL comes with learnings related to the development of civic attitudes and skills [ 31 ], civic engagement [ 32 , 33 ] or a greater awareness of social justice related problems [ 34 ].…”

Teaching in context: Integrating community‐based service learning into TESOL education

“…Within TESOL, scholars have highlighted numerous positive outcomes of service‐learning for teachers‐in‐training, including improved knowledge and skills (Carr, Eyring, & Gallego, ; Laidemitt, Demola, Martin, & Kelley, /2012), increased confidence (Wilberschied, Bauer, & Gerdes, ), altered perceptions of ESL learners (Lopes‐Murphy & Martin, ; Moore, ; Rymes, ; Spack, ), expanded teacher identities (Cho & Gulley, ; Curtis & Curran, ), and heightened self‐awareness of racial and socioeconomic privilege (Fitzgerald, ; Fogle & Heiselt, ) . I want to augment this list by focusing on an issue that has received some attention in the literature (Blum, ; Curtis & Curran, ; Fogle & Heiselt, ) but remains largely underexplored—the potential for service‐learning to raise students' awareness about the complex sociopolitical forces that shape language education.…”

“…Second, if we want to help students engage in critical self‐reflection on the ambiguous power dynamics of service‐learning, we, as instructors, must be responsive to students' evolving efforts to navigate this challenging terrain, and we must also maintain and display a critical awareness of our own positions within the model. Cho and Gulley () echo this second point, arguing that in order to enact transformative service‐learning, instructors “must take an explicit stance for social justice education” (p. 630). An important step in this direction is moving beyond the comfort of the campus environment to engage with community organizations as equal partners.…”